Airbag question

Discussion in 'Modifications And Maintenance' started by silver03, Jul 16, 2020.

  1. silver03
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    silver03 Well-Known Member

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    2003 WRX-looking to replace steering wheel due to wear. I found one on CL in excellent shape off a 2005 Saab 9-2x. It does not come with an airbag. My current airbag fit/work with that wheel? Thanks -Rick
     
  2. pleiades
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    pleiades Well-Known Member

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    The Saab wheel is a 3-spoke like the 04-07 Imprezas, right? If the whole airbag assembly/center section of the wheel is missing then obviously the one from the WRX 4-spoke won't work, but you only need to swap over the inflator charge that reportedly works fine. I'm about to put essentially the same wheel in my bugeye and got a recycled airbag for $50 (pictured below), so I'll be swapping the charge and cruise button to make it work. Wouldn't mind an STI airbag but there's a significant price difference for that pink logo.

    Screenshot_20200716-141426_Gallery.jpg
     
  3. silver03
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    silver03 Well-Known Member

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    Thank you. I overlooked the 4 spoke vs. 3 spoke design:banghead:
     
  4. joebush44
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    joebush44 Well-Known Member

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    The wheels should be relatively "interchangeable". You'll just have to get creative with cruise control wiring. I believe it also involves swapping your airbag charge from the 4 spoke to the 3 spoke (so it will plug into your WRX clockspring). I'd imagine there is a bunch of info out there. I prefer the 3 spoke wheels over the 4 spoke, personally! Quick google search, first thread lead to this

    https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/05-sti-steering-wheel-with-cruise-swap-into-an-04-xt.9043/
     
  5. pleiades
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    pleiades Well-Known Member

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    Exactly @joebush44, and I'll likely be doing that myself this weekend so I'll let you know how it goes.
     
  6. pleiades
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    pleiades Well-Known Member

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    Alright @silver03, I just finished swapping my steering wheel (haven't tested it yet but will once my interior is back together). The airbag charge swap is very simple, so unless you have any reservations about potential safety issues or anything that shouldn't be a problem at all. The cruise control is the difficult part, or at least was for me because the wheel I put in was apparently from a JDM model without cruise. This meant I had to reuse my old lever/switch assembly, cut a hole in the rear cover for it, and make a mount inside the wheel. Big pain in the butt.

    If you get a newer wheel I'd try to get one with the cruise lever/switch included which just requires minor wiring modification to plug into your existing harness, partially because the signal wires are apparently reversed. The newer one will also have the on/off switch integrated instead of on the dash like the 02-03, so the one on the lever won't be functional unless you can figure out how to wire it through the clockspring. I can't say how much of this applies to the Saab wheel but I imagine it should be the same.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2020
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